If St. Louis can keep the ball and control the clock with Jackson then I can see it being closer than a lot of people think but they have to get some NFL throws downfield with Bradford.

^^^This^^^

The Rams will look to pound with Jax to set up play action passing. We have to stay away from TO's and 3rd and long situations to have any chance at all.

We have looked turrible (insert Charles Barkley version) on the road this pre season and were blown out in both games. Since we are the youngest team in the league it does not bode well that we have to start the season on the road.

Oh well, it is time to put our big boy pants on and play some football.....

Cowboys @ Giants: Given that we haven't watched real NFL football since February, opening game is always exciting. On top of that its two high tier teams who should be competing for a division title, can't ask for much more. I'm curious to see how involved Reuben Randle is early in the season- its also always a joy watching the NYG D-line go to work so that'll be fun. On the Cowboys side, I'm interested in Dez Bryants development and I'll definitely be watching Demarco Murray. Hype: 8.5/10

Colts @ Bears: The obvious storyline here is Andrew Luck's first start which will be exciting. How early are we gonna see that Luck/Fleener connection rear its head? Aside from that, I have the Bears going deep in the playoffs after a wildcard berth and I'd like to see some early signs of that with a big win here. Jay Cutler is one of my favorite non-bengals and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing him in action again, especially with a new offensive scheme and with Marshall in his repertoire once again. Hype: 6/10

Falcons @ Chiefs: We've all been hearing a ton about this new look Atlanta offense. We'll see if it lives up to the hype. Jacquizz Rogers is on my watch list; I wonder how much we'll see of him and how soon. As for KC, I wanna see Jamaal Charles be an instant upgrade for their running game which left a lot to be desired after he went down last year. Dexter Mccluster as a full time receiver should be fun too. I think the Falcons are a better team, but for some reason my gut tells me ATL just doesn't quite have it altogether for their opener. Arrowheads never easy to steal a win in either. Hype: 5/10

Eagles @ Browns: Mike Vick is my absolute favorite non-bengal. Love watchin the dude play, I just hope he can stay healthy (fingers crossed). On top of that, I have Lesean Mccoy on my fantasy team this year so I'm really excited for what should be a big game for him. Trent Richardson was one of my favorite players in this draft class, so while I was disappointed that he went to a division rival, I'm pretty pumped to see him play. The Joe Haden suspension is a miserable loss for them, I don't see anyway Cleveland pulls this one out. Hype: 7/10

Redskins @ Saints: RGIII's first start is definitely intriguing. I think everyone also wants to know how Washington's RB situation is going to play out, at least for fantasy purposes. Speaking of Fantasy, I'd love to see Sproles continue to be highly involved in the offense. Saints should win this by double digits pretty easy as the Skins work through some growing pains. They'll win some games this year, just not against a team like New Orleans, especially not this early. Hype: 5/10

Rams @ Lions: I really hope Sam Bradford can continue the great start he had to his career. The last few years have been really disappointing for him so I'd love to see him get this season started on the right foot. With Amendola returning as well, its quite possible we see him with 75+ catches again, especially considering the lack of any other real receiving threats around him. I want to see Isiah Pead spelling Jackson a bit as well, he's a fun one to watch. Janoris Jenkins will be on my watch list as well. From the Detroit side, I'm not expecting many surprises. They'll do what they do well- Calvin will grab a pair of TDs and the D-line will get at the quarterback. Hype: 6/10

Patriots @ Titans: Is Hernandez going to have the expanded role that has been promised throughout the preseason? I hope not, seeing as I invested high picks in Gronk on both of my fantasy teams. I'm not buying the Brandon Lloyd hype much, I think this offense will continue to move through the TEs, Lloyd wont eclipse 55-60 grabs IMO. Theres been a lot of talk about Chris Johnson this preseason, was his down year a direct effect of the holdout or has he just lost his mojo? Jared Cook is the other name I'm really looking out for here, is he finally going to break out? Hype: 6.5/10

Jaguars @ Vikings: With MJD on one of my fantasy teams, I'm really hoping Rashad Jennings doesn't show too much. Last thing I need is him taking any sort of significant playing time from Pocket Hercules throughout the season. Fantasy aside, Gabbert was actually pretty impressive this preseason- but his main problem last year was poor play under pressure and dealing with blitzes. You don't see a heavy dose of either of those in the preseason, will regress against more complex defenses? I anticipate Christian Ponder struggling some here against an underrated Jacksonville D. If Adrian Peterson isn't on firing all cylinders (which he probably won't be), I think Jax takes this one. Hype: 6/10

Bills @ Jets: Unless Sanchez is failing miserably in whats otherwise a close game- I really don't expect to see much, if any, wildcat in the opener. I believe Rex would rather let his franchise QB gain a little confidence after a shaky preseason before we see too much of Tebow. I'll most certainly have my eye on Coples since I was a big fan of him coming out. I think he gets a sack in his first even NFL game. I'm not really feeling all the hype coming from the Bills this year. I can see Fitz having a 13/25, 1 TD (Steve Johnson), 2 INT game. Fred Jackson runs for under 60 in a loss. It should be a low scoring game overall and the new and improved Buffalo D is going to a lot of fun to watch this year. Hype:4/10

Dolphins @ Texans: Everyone's really down on the phins this year, and mostly for good reason- but I actually like Tannehill a lot and expect flashes of greatness from him this season despite a lack of receiving threats. Reggie Bush is also primed for a great year. I wouldn't be surprised to see him lining up at WR at some point with Daniel Thomas and Lamar Miller splitting carries. Either way, Bush needs to be involved in a big way or the offense is going to be pretty stagnant. Houston's D is going to be too much for them in the opener, regardless. I'm not as high on Schaub as most people these days, but with the supporting cast he has- playoffs are almost guaranteed. I'd like to see Owen Daniels really come into his own this year as well. Hype: 7/10

49ers @ Packers: I cannot wait for this one. We've been wanting to see this matchup since early last season and an early Green Bay playoff exit made us wait. You have an offensive juggernaut going against a star studded stone wall defense. Which one breaks? Will we see any improvement from a Green Bay defense that was tweaked quite a bit throughout the offseason? And is this finally the season Alex Smith justifies his draft pick? Despite the Benson signing, I think we can expect the same tempo of offense we saw last year. And if Green Bay snatches a two score lead in the first half it could spiral out of control pretty quickly- Alex Smith trying to play catch up on an opportunistic Packers D spells disaster to me. On the flip side, if SF grabs an early lead and is able to control the game on the ground, the niners could easily win this one as well. Should be a blast to watch. Hype: 9.5/10

Seahawks @ Cardinals: Russel Wilson. I think we can all agree on how that situation played out as the biggest surprise of the preseason. I almost hope Marshawn Lynch's back spasms keep him out of this game just so we can get a peek at Robert Turbin. The Cards could have one of the most dynamic receiving duos in the league with Fitz and Floyd- but I don't know that we can trust Skelton to consistently get them the ball. I'm worried the QB situation in Arizona is going to stunt the rookies a growth a bit. Hype: 5/10

Panthers @ Buccaneers: I like watching Cam as much as the next guy, but whats really intriguing me here is seeing how big an impact Tampa Bay's huge free agent acquisitions can have on getting Josh Freeman back on track. Oh, and did I mention Doug Martin? Love that dude, he was my favorite player this class and I can't wait to see him under the lights. I don't see any way in hell Khalil and co. can deliver on the Super Bowl promise, but it should be another fun year for Carolina fans to watch their stud QB and young core develop. I hope to see an expanded role for Greg Olsen this year, world of potential there. Also, whats Tolberts role going to be? Surely he isn't getting paid as much as he is to lead block alone. Hype: 7.5/10

Steelers @ Broncos: Another game I'm super pumped for. All signs point towards a down year for the Steelers (obviously great news for a Bengals fan) and we get our first real look at who many are considering a super bowl contender in the Broncos. I think what we'll see here is a much different role for Peyton. He isn't going to be throwing 40+ times a game anymore. And while this will obviously be a far more potent Denver air attack than what we saw last year, you can expect McGahee and the ground game to be the focal point of the offense. John Fox doesn't seem likely to stray from the formula he's so accustomed to, no matter whose taking the snaps at QB. Hype: 9/10

Bengals @ Ravens: First Bengals game since January? Week 1 primetime? Division rivalry? Bernard Pollard daring AJ Green to come over the middle? You've gotta be kidding me. I couldn't be more excited. I expect huge things from my Bengals this year and its starting on Monday Night. We lost both matchups against the Ravens last year by one score, and with the great offseason we had, this one could really go either way. The key to the game will be containment of Ray Rice. The outcome is almost entirely dependent on our ability to keep him from having that big play he's known for coming up with. Torrey Smith's expanded role is another thing to watch out for; I worry that his development as a true #1 will aid Boldin quite a bit in returning to form. Watch out for the little guy in the slot for Cincy though: Andrew Hawkins. Dude is extremely explosive and Jay Gruden will have a lot of plays designed to get him the ball in space. Expect to hear his name a lot this year. Hype: 10/10

Chargers @ Raiders: Being a bitter Bengals fan, its my duty to root for Carson Palmer to fail as miserably as possible every week. Especially since we have their second round pick this year. That said, I think when healthy, Run DMC is the class of the NFL at HB. I think he starts the season in a big way with 2 TD and 130 yards on the ground in the opener. Antonio Gates claims to finally be fully healthy again, if thats the case, he's right up there with Gronk and Graham in the running for the NFL's best TE. He's also River's favorite target and I think having him healthy will do wonders for the SD QB this year. Its just a shame we don't get to see Matthews yet. Hype: 8/10

Let's see some more excitement gentleman (and Brodeur)! It's our first real, live football in months that counts.

12 straight years the defending champs have won their opener. I don't see that changing. I'm predicting that the game will be close through 3 quarters before the giants pull ahead by two scores in the 4th to win.

Dude, you seriously need to pick a different team then. We never make it easy and always make it close, but that's half of the excitement of being a giants fan.

Maybe for you. It gives me agida. We never make it easy because our DCs haven't carried their own weight. This goes back to Tim Lewis and the defense that couldn't keep leads. One specific game was the Eagles playoff game at Philly. Eli drives the length of the field and scores, and McNabb takes his team right back down, and Akers kicks the FG for the win.

Bill Sheridan and those countless games where we couldn't keep the lead. If I am not mistaken Tuck was in coverage 30 yards downfield vs Antonio Gates. And yes, we lost the game because we couldn't hold onto the lead.

And Perry Fewell, and that stupid Philly game debacle!

True we never make it easy, but that's because of the defensive side of the ball and the DCs not carrying their weight. Tonight is a new season! Let's hope that fool can actually have himself a good season and not royally screw things up! No more rush 3 drop 8 against that Dallas OL!

We have the same problem. I think when I turn 30, I'm going to force myself to pick a new team because my heart won't be able to take Bears games as I get older.

I turned 31 in August, so I am realizing as I get older, this late game stuff not only gives me agida, but it may be the death of me. Especially these playoff FGs to send to us to the SB. That shaves about 10 years of the life span.

Steelers @ Broncos: Another game I'm super pumped for. All signs point towards a down year for the Steelers (obviously great news for a Bengals fan) and we get our first real look at who many are considering a super bowl contender in the Broncos. I think what we'll see here is a much different role for Peyton. He isn't going to be throwing 40+ times a game anymore. And while this will obviously be a far more potent Denver air attack than what we saw last year, you can expect McGahee and the ground game to be the focal point of the offense. John Fox doesn't seem likely to stray from the formula he's so accustomed to, no matter whose taking the snaps at QB. Hype: 9/10

Sucks that it's a late game, i'll have to be up 4 hours after it's finished. I can't miss the first game of the season though.

Yeah I have class from 7-9, so I will be missing a bit of it. So not happy about that. But I am recording the game so I can go over it later. I am not a fan of later games. I wish they would move it up. Same with the super bowl.

We have the same problem. I think when I turn 30, I'm going to force myself to pick a new team because my heart won't be able to take Bears games as I get older.

Peyton Manning has the record for most 4th Q comebacks. Being a Colts fan has probably taken 3-5 years off my life. I am actually kind of glad he is gone (don't tell anybody) because I won't approach winning a game (assuming we will win and getting pissed if we either don't, or don't win convincingly) the same way anymore.

“The quarterback is playing at the highest level in the history of the game,” Harbaugh said. “A-plus at the wide receiver position. Outstanding defense that they’ve really added to — they spent their first six picks in the draft on defense. Dom Capers is a tremendous defensive coach. I could go on and on here. This is a great football team that could be expected to win every game they play.”

I respect Harbaugh and it's nice to see him saying complimentary things about the Packers, but this game scares the crap out of me. If last season is any indication, SF can pound the rock and Green Bay's secondary doesn't exactly specialize in run support. Those SF rushers could break off some big runs if they get to the second level. I think the Packers need to play a "front running" game, where they put points on the board early and force Alex Smith to make plays through the air.